Abilene Campus Sculpture Joins TTUS Art Collection

The Convergence of Healing Forces combines aspects of the Caduceus with additional symbols representing Abilene, health and healing.

• By Mark Hendricks
• September 15, 2016

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) campus in Abilene is home to the newest piece of public art work displayed by each of the four universities that comprise the Texas Tech University System (TTUS).

The TTUS Public Art Committee selected Mid-Ocean Studio, located in Providence, Rhode Island, as the commissioned artist for the project. Brower Hatcher, Mid-Ocean’s artistic director, has been producing landmark public art for more than thirty years.

The Convergence of Healing Forces, the sculpture Hatcher and Mid-Ocean created for the new Public Health Building at the TTUHSC Abilene campus, is a 20-foot-tall tension-compression structure. The design combines aspects of the Caduceus symbol—the ball, pole and spirals—with an orb-like geometric energy field imbued with additional symbols representing Abilene, health and healing. Hatcher was in Abilene Sept. 7 to oversee installation of the piece.

Emily Wilkinson, TTUS director of public art, said she is excited to introduce the first TTUS public art collection piece to the TTUHSC Abilene campus. She said Hatcher and his creative team of professional artists at Mid-Ocean Studio have completed more than 50 public art projects by combining their unique talents to produce pieces that represent and enliven community space.

The sculpture sits atop a smooth concrete base and will be illuminated at night. The embedded symbols in the sculpture will represent aspects of Abilene as a community and will identify the campus as a health care institution. Wilkinson said Mid-Ocean Studio has a long history of working harmoniously with a variety of architects, engineers, landscape architects and lighting designers.

“We hope The Convergence of Healing Forces will serve as an icon and a beacon to the campus, as well as provide a strong sense of place and identity for the Abilene community and its health care providers,” Wilkinson said.

The Texas Tech Board of Regents established the TTUS public art program in 1998 to enhance the overall experience and aesthetic culture at each campus by bringing in original public artworks created by leading artists. The program allows a campus to set aside one percent of the estimated total cost for its major construction projects to fund the artwork it displays. Wilkinson said the TTUS public art collection currently includes more than 100 pieces.

“The Texas Tech University System’s Public Art Collection is ranked by Public Art Review as one of the top 10 university public art collections in the nation,” Wilkinson said. “We are excited to continue the tradition of incorporating the highest quality artworks by one of the nation’s leading artists on the TTUHSC Abilene campus.”